Washing machine



Feb. 12, 1952 H. HOVDEN 2,585,464

WASHING MACHINE Filed April 24, 1946 4 Sheets-Sheet l I1 g l [nun-va or HA V707? H0 VDEN Ayenzs Feb. 12; 1952 HOVDEN 2,585,464

WASHING MACHINE Filed April 24, 1946 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 HA v70 H0 mew mwya Aye n is Feb. 12, 1952 HQVDEN 2,585,464

WASHING MACHINE Filed April 24, 1946 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 27 HA v70 H0 VDEN Wm M Q.

flyenzs Feb. 12, 1952 H. HOVDEN WASHING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed April 24, 1946 I l I In 1/: n a r HA V701? H0 VDEN. .37

Patented Feb. 12, 1952 Havtor Hovden, Orstavik, Norway Application-April 24, 1946, Serial No. 664,573 .111 Norway February 8, 1943 Section 1, Public Law 690, August 8, 1946 Patent expires February 8, 1963 4 Claims.

The present invention relates to improvements in washing machines, and has for its object to provide a more eflicient and speedy machine of simpler construction than hitherto known.

This increased efiiciency is attained partly by running the machine at a far higher speed with more cleaning cycles per minute than hitherto utilized .in washing machines, and partly by using a new cleaning method consisting in cleaning by static pressure alternations in the cleaning fluid.

The principle of the new machine and suitable detail constructions of, the same, are illustrated in the enclosed drawing in which:

Fig. 1. illustrates theworking princip1e of the machine.

Fig. 2.is' a sectional view of the main device of the machine in its uppermost position.

Fig. 3 is a similar view of the same device in its lowermost position.

Fig. 4 is a plan View of the same device.

Fig; 5 is a partly sectional elevation'of a washing machine having four working devices in connection with a mechanism for actuating the same from a horizontal rotating shaft.

Fig. 6 is a partly sectional elevation of a Washing container having two working devices in connection with a mechanism for actuating the same from a vertical rotating shaft.

Fig. '7 is a sectional side view of the same at a right angle to Fig. 6.

In Fig. 1, l designates a closed pressure tight container filled with cleansing fluid in which the clothes are suspended. The container communicates with a pump having a pressure piston 2. When the piston 2 is moved downward an overpressure will arise in the cleaning fluid pressing the fibres of the clothes together. When the piston is moved upward an underpressure will be caused in the container I so that the fibres of theclothes will expand.

With such static pressure alternations in rapid succession the dirt will be penetrated and dis-. solved by the fluid or removed from the fibres of the clothes.

According to the invention the cleansing fluid is to-be reciprocated at a far higher speed than used in the known machines. Consequently means are to be provided for avoiding the drawbacks connected to the rapid reciprocating motion of'the heavy fluid masses.

An important feature of the invention consists in producing a rapid continuous stream in the cleansing fluid so that a vigorous motion of the textiles is caused through the most efiicient cleani! r ion;

For such purpose an electric motor is suitably used as driving device in that a reduction gear mechanism can be dispensed with. v

Suitable forms of the reciprocating working devices and their connection to the driving motor are shown in Figs. 2 to 7. I

In Figs. 2 to 4, 3 designates a diaphragm made of flexible material. clamped between two rigid discs 4 forming a nonflexible piston surface. This piston surface is onits lower side connected to an actuating member., In order to avoid stresses in the flexible material.

' reciprocating vibrations by a suitable actuating mechanism below the container, three distinct eflects are obtained in the cleansing fluid vizz' pressure alternations, reciprocating movements and a strong circulation motion. Pressure alternations are produced in the cleaning fluid, above the vibrators in the container, by the inertia or resistance of the fluid against the rapid movement of the vibratordiaphragm in opposite directions, when the frequency and the velocity of the vibrator strokes are sufficiently high. The velocity of the vertical oscillations should be considerably greater than the velocities which may be imparted to the fluid by the efiect of gravitation. Thus, the upstroke of the vibrator diaphragm encountering the downward-motion in the fluid from the preceding downward troke, an overpressure arises in the fluid. And the downward movement of the vibrator being counteracted by the preceding upward motion in the fluid, consequently an underpressure arises. I Y a In this way,-overpressure and underpressure al-i ternate in very rapid succession exposing the textilesto pressure and'suction in thevfluid whereby the dirt particles are dissolved and loosened.

As mentioned'above, the frequency for creating such static pressure alternations in the cleansing fluid should be muchhigher than is the case in previously known reciprocating machines. As an example, it may be mentionedthat no appreciable pressure-vacuum effect is obtained if' the The flat central part is,

vibrator operates at only 1200 strokes a minute. Satisfactory results are obtained at about 1800 strokes a minute or more. As an example a suitable frequency of the vibrator-oscillations may be obtained by standard alternating current electric motors, that is to say motors having a speed of 1100 to 1800 revolutions a minute.

In order to distinguish between the present washing machine and previously known washing machines with reciprocating fluid movements, it may be remarked that the latter, which are not designed for creating static alternating pressure effects, merely lift and lower the cleansing fluid. Consequently, the speed is comparatively slow and if the machine is not equipped with perforated walls, the textiles will only be raised and lowered together with the fluid without any appreciable cleaning effect. That is to say that the effect depends upon the fact that the clothes are prevented from being moved together with the fluid, so that they are penetrated by the fluid.

Contrarily to such machines, the present machine depends upon a different principle, that is to say the fluid level is neither raised nor lowered, so that perforated walls are not required, the textiles being freely suspended in the liquid and in spite of such fact a perfect cleaning effect is obtained.

' 'It may also be remarked, that a high speed in the previously known machines is practically out of question owing to the fact that they are single acting; and on account of the heavy weight of the reciprocating fluid column, a violent shaking would be transmitted to the surroundings.

According to the present invention the machine has a plurality of vibrators (pistons, diaphragms) which counteract each other and cause a balancing effect, so that the resulting level of the cleansing fluid is neither raised nor lowered.

Consequently, the reciprocating movements are not extended to the whole mass of fluid with equal strength but are predominating in a region above each vibrator unit.

The result is that the cleaning eifect is not uniform throughout the container, but is most eflicient in a region next to the vibrators. For this reason, arrangements must be made to transport the textiles to such region and the invention also contains practical means for obtaining such transporting effect.

The principle appears clearly from Figs. 2, 3 and 4.

As will be seen, a deflecting hood 5 is placed above a part of the piston 4. When the piston is raised as shown in Fig. 2, the hood will cause a current of the fluid in the direction of the arrow 6 and when the piston is lowered, a current in the direction of the arrow 1 is obtained. Consequently, the impulses will cause a continuous circulating motion of the fluid in the direction of the arrows 8, and the textiles will be transported by the current of fluid to and from the working region.

Any suitable number of vibrator-units higher than one, may be used, two, three, four according to the capacity of the machine.

A suitable driving device of the vibrators, in a machine having four vibrators, is shown in Fig. 5. Here 9 designates an electric motor having horizontal shaft on which are mounted two eccentrics 9a, 9b, connected to links l0, H), which are pivoted to a lever II, which in turn is pivoted at i2 and is rigidly connected to levers l3, pivoted to lugs 14 onthe pist ns 4.. V.

When the motor 9 is operated, the levers [3 are reciprocated as shown by arrows l5, and one piston is lifted at the same time as the opposite piston is lowered, as will be clearly seen in the sectional part of Fig. 5.

A suitable driving device in a container having two vibrator units is shown in Figs. 6 and 7. The shaft of the motor 9 is vertical. A trunnion I6 is by means of a ball bearing I! connected to a lever 18, the ends of which are connected to lugs I I on the piston 4. As will be seen in Fig. 6 the position of the lever I8 is inclined relatively to the trunnion IB and consequently one lug I4 will be lowered when the opposite lug I4 is lifted.

- It will be understood that the invention is not limited to certain constructions of the driving devices and that any suitable construction of such devices may be used. The constructions shown should be regarded only as practical examples.

I claim:

1. In a washing machine, a fluid container, a plurality of vertically reciprocating diaphragm pumps in said container, an electric motor, unitary ratio driving means connecting said motor to said pumps and adapted to impart reciprocating motion thereto so that one pump causes pressure at the same time as another pump causes suction, said means comprising a shaft and eccentrics thereon, a projection on each of said diaphragm pumps, a lever pivoted at each end to one of said projections and a link rigidly connected to one of said levers and actuated by one of said eccentrics, the speed of said motor being sufficient to impart to said pumps a high frequency motion for obtaining a pressure vacuum effect on the goods next to the pumps, and a hood partly covering each of said pumps to cause a circulating motion of the fluid, the period of reciprocation of said pumps being less than the time required for inertial deceleration of fluid directed upwardly by the pumps.

2. In a washing machine, a fluid container, a pair of vertically reciprocating diaphragm pumps in said container, an electric motor, unitary ratio driving means connecting said motor to said pumps and adapted to impart reciprocating motion thereto so that one pump causes pressure at the same time as another pump causes suction, said means comprising a shaft, a bearing on said shaft inclined relative to the axis of the latter, and an inclined lever rotatably mounted at its center on said bearing to be rocked by said inclined hearing as the latter is rotated with said shaft and having its ends connected to said pumps, the period of reciprocation of said pumps being less than the time required for inertial deceleration of fluid directed upwardly by the pumps.

3. In a washing machine, a fluid container, a plurality of vertically reciprocating diaphragm pumps arranged equidistantly from the center of the bottom of said container, an electric motor, unitary ratio driving means connecting said motor to said pumps and adapted to impart reciprocating motion thereto so that one pump causes pressure at the same time as another pump causes suction, said means comprising a shaft, 2. bearing on said shaft inclined relative to the axis of the latter, and an inclined dog rotatably mounted at its center on said inclined bearing to be rocked by the latter as the bearing is rotated with said shaft and having an arm connected to each of saidgpumps, the periodof reciprocation of said pumps being lessl than the time required for inertial deceleration of fluid directed upwardly by the pumps.

4. In a clothes washing machine a fluid container, means for subjecting a portion of the fluid in the container to a high frequency compression wave efiect consisting of a plurality of diaphragms arranged in pairs and actuated at displaced phases, in combination with hoods partly covering the diaphragms for automatically constraining the washing goods to pass through said portion, the period of said wave being less than the time required for inertial deceleration of upwardly directed particles of fluid.

HAVTOR HOVDEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 453,777 Norwood June 9, 1891 1,140,561 Baer May 25, 1915 1,838,595 Turner Dec. 29, 1931 1,981,456 Kuhn et al Nov. 20, 1934 2,152,455 Ballentine Mar. 28, 1939 2,203,479 Witwer et al June 4, 1940 2,282,332 Kuhn May 12, 1942 

